Monday, 30 April 2012

April Showers!

My May Blog post has arrived early. The grizzley weather in the UK and a day off mean that I have time to sit down and tell you my news.

First things first... I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has bought from me during April, I had a crazy month and it was so exciting to feel that people where liking what I am creating and are not being detered in buying by all the doom and gloom that our various ecomonies are heaping on us. A few colourful beads is what everyone needs to cheer themselves up and I have been buying some too!!

So what news..........

Prior to my trip to the US earlier in the year I made myself a lovely big necklace with big chunky beads in lots of lovely colour that all measured in the region of 35mm in diameter (3.5cm) so it made a real statement.

I was asked so many times if it was for sale that I sat down when I got home and started making similar beads to sell and the option of buying a bespoke one in colours of your choice. My first commission one was black and white which was a hard one for me....I love colour and most of my work is full of colour so this pushed me to the limit, but I really enjoyed it as I had to think much more about pattern than I sometimes do with colour and I was really pleased with the result.

I then had a customer who wished to make her own up so she bought beads over the course of a week as I uploaded them. I found this really interesting as some I would have chosen for a bespoke random colour necklace but some I would not have so it showed me an entirely different combination of beads to my own. These beads and the ball chain necklace are going to be a permanant fixture in my Etsy shop as they are proving really popular. I am going to endeavour to upload a few a day which means that there will be ongoing choice for everyone.

I have always loved creating big mandala style glass wheels and have up untill recently always tried to stick with colours that don't react against each other or bleed or web as I felt that comprimised the design.

I have tried experimenting with colours that actually react together and can cause some interesting effects and these new wheels have also proved very popular......

I love the way some glasses react creating lines that almost look like they have been painted or drawn onto the bead and the slight smudgy effect which also looks like it has been painted on rather than being created in the flame.

I also had a delivery of cupcake murrine. A Facebook friend of mine had a beautiful Airedale Terrier who sadly passed away after a battle with illness. At the end of her life the only thing that she could be tempted to eat was cupcakes so when I saw that Lori Peterson had created some cupcake murrine I bought some straight away and made my friend a 5mm pandora style bead to have on her bracelet as a reminder of Ruby.

I had a few murrines left over so decided to do something abit mad with it and this big P!nk Sputn!ck was born!!

So there we are I have written far more than I usually would...I hope you are still with me? So onto Milly my Lakeland.....she has to feature in my blog each month it has become abit of a tradition.

So we have had the UK Flame Off in April organised by Tuffnell Glass It is a great place to meet other flameworkers, buy lots of glass and watch some international and uk artists demonstrate their skills. One of those artist was Claudia Trimbur Pagel who makes the most lovely beads with meticulous stringer work (fine lines of glass) and she makes great DOGS!! I had to have one and this one just reminded my so much of my Milly!

I think it is the ears!!

Thank you for reading my blog and Happy Melting to all you Flameworkers out there :0)

1 comment:

Your beaded jewellery work is simply awesome and worth many compliment. Talking about beads I would also like to introduce to you the beautiful fashion accessories offered by the famous branded jewellery store Tresor Paris made of a special type of crystal beads called "Checz" which is as beautiful as diamond and magnetite stones which is supposed to have several health benefits. You can check out the collection at: http://www.tresorparis.com

About Me

Hi my name is Jennie Lamb, I live and work in beautiful North Devon. My husband Ian and I live in Appledore with our bonkers Lakeland Terrier Milly.
I have a small studio which is open to the public during the summer season and by appointment out of season where you can watch me work and browse my beads.
I have always loved jewellery and glass in particular and as a child had a real addiction for paperweights, marbles and snow globes. I could spend hours escaping in my mind into the little world produced inside each and I love the texture of glass beads and marbles in your hand. That has never left me and following a lesson in lampwork with Manda Muddimer of Mango Beads in 2009 my glassy journey began.
I try and create in my beads a 3 dimensional quality that draws the viewer in and it is this and the reactive quality of glass that keeps me hooked.
I have been lucky enough to have done a few advanced workshops including classes with Astrid Reidel, Carli Di Francesco,Di East and Anouk Jaspere, Bronwen Heilman, Anita Schwegler, Jari Anne Sheese
I hope you enjoy my blog and if you need any further information on my work please do not hesitate to get in touch.